Sometimes we make cardmaking harder than it needs to be.
We see all the beautiful Designer Series Paper, embellishments, embossing folders, specialty tools, and techniques and start thinking we need all the things to make a beautiful card.
We don’t.
This week, I pulled out the Simply Leaves Stamp Set and coordinating punch from Stampin’ Up!® and challenged myself to keep the supplies and color palette fairly simple while showing how you can take a card from basic to a little more stepped up.
And then, because I can’t leave well enough alone, I also started looking at that leaf punch and thinking about what ELSE I could make with it.
Turns out…quite a bit!
In the video, I’m creating three cards using the same basic color palette and many of the same supplies. We start with a simple stamps, ink, and paper design and gradually add a few more products and techniques.
The point isn’t that one card is better than another. It’s that you get to decide how much you want to do. Sometimes you want quick and simple. Sometimes you want to play with a few techniques. And sometimes you want to pull out the toys and see what happens.
Start Simple with Stamps, Ink & Paper
For our first card, I went right back to the basics.
A Basic White card base, two colors of ink, and the Simply Leaves stamps do most of the work. I alternated the direction of the stamped leaves to create a little more visual interest without adding anything complicated.
I did punch one additional leaf and pop it over a stamped image with Stampin’ Dimensionals. That tiny bit of dimension creates almost a shadow effect and gives the card some depth without making the design fussy.
A little Linen Thread and a few In Color Dots finish it off.
This is exactly the kind of card I love showing newer stampers because it proves you don’t need a craft room overflowing with supplies before you can make something pretty.
Want the Measurements?
Before we move on to the rest of the cards, if you’d like the measurements so you can recreate these projects, you’ll find the complete Inspiration Sheet inside the Crafty Klock Inspiration Vault.
The Vault is my $9/month subscription library filled with the Inspiration Sheets that coordinate with my weekly videos. You’ll get the measurements and project details all together in one convenient place, plus access to the growing collection of Inspiration Sheets already inside the Vault.
Add a Little More
For the second card, we kept the same general color palette but brought in some Designer Series Paper and Peaceful Pine Two-Tone Cardstock.
I stamped the buffalo plaid leaves, fussy cut them, and layered each one onto a cardstock square. And yes, I fussy cut them. If you’ve watched me for any length of time, you know that’s an act of love because fussy cutting is NOT my superpower!
The other fun detail on this card is the splatter.
I used the Peaceful Pine Glimmer Brush and tapped it against a hard surface to scatter those little dots across the card front. It’s such a simple technique, but it adds texture and interest without adding another layer.
Now Let’s Step It Up
Our third card adds another easy technique that gives the Two-Tone Cardstock a completely different look.
After embossing the Peaceful Pine cardstock, I lightly rubbed a sanding block over the raised areas. Because the Two-Tone Cardstock has a white core, sanding exposes some of it and really emphasizes the embossed design.
It gives the cardstock a slightly distressed look that I LOVE.
I added stamped leaves along the side, layered three larger punched leaves over the embossed panel, and finished everything with Linen Thread and a few Peaceful Pine In Color Dots.
Nothing about the technique is difficult, but those few extra details take the card in a completely different direction.
But Who Says a Leaf Has to Stay a Leaf?
Now THIS is where things got fun.
Once you’ve got a punch sitting on your craft table, don’t just look at what the manufacturer tells you it is. Turn it around. Combine several shapes. Change the colors. Punch it from patterned paper.
Ask yourself, “What else could this be?”
Those leaf shapes make some pretty darn cute flower petals!
I punched the shapes from gingham paper, added a circle for the center, and suddenly those leaves became a sunflower.
Change the colors again and they can become a big, bold poinsettia flower.
And when I started playing with some Christmas papers, I realized that the leaf shape could even become an ornament.
That’s one of my favorite things about papercrafting. A product doesn’t have to do just ONE thing.
The more ways I can find to use a stamp, punch, die, or other tool, the more valuable that product becomes in my craft room. And sometimes finding those unexpected uses is simply a matter of giving yourself permission to play with it.
Ready to Create?
Whether you’re a beginning stamper who wants to keep things simple or you’ve been crafting for years and love adding those extra details, I hope these projects have given you a few ideas to try.
And I especially hope they’ve encouraged you to look at the supplies you already own a little differently.
Because sometimes a leaf is a leaf.
And sometimes it’s a sunflower, a Christmas flower, or an ornament just waiting to happen.
If you’d like to add the Simply Leaves Stamp Set, coordinating punch, or any of the other Stampin’ Up! supplies I used today to your craft room, I’d love to have you shop with me.
Stay Crafty,
Judy